


Tempest

by Jude81



Series: The Bold Type-Our Time is Now [2]
Category: The Bold Type
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Inter-racial Relationships, Muslim lesbian, black woman questioning sexuality, girls falling in love, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 22:34:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11656092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jude81/pseuds/Jude81
Summary: Follows the events of "Bold," in which Kat processes what the kiss meant and how she feels about Adena.





	Tempest

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! So I decided to turn "Bold" into a series. Tempest takes place the next day after Kat and Adena's "date." Reading Bold first will help this one make more sense. 
> 
> Also, I'm not following the show exactly. I wrote Bold before ep 1.04 was aired, so some things are a little different. This series might jump around chronologically, I'm not sure yet.

 

“I kissed her.”

“What?! Oh my god! Tell us everything!”

Kat laughed as Sutton and Jane each grabbed her by a hand and pulled her along behind them, trying to act as calmly as possible as they hustled around the desks, barely avoiding bumping into co-worker. But Kat was sure the rapid clicking of their heels, and the flushed excitement in their cheeks was a dead giveaway.

Once they’d pulled her into The Closet, she laughed and turned around, plopping down on the cushioned settee in the middle of the closet. She rubbed her hands on her knees, slightly surprised by the clammy feel scratching across her bare knees. She didn’t normally get flustered or embarrassed, especially not in front of Jane and Sutton. And she knew they would only have kind things to say about her experience, exulting with her in her excitement, but talking about it out loud, made it more real. And if she said the words that were brimming on the tip of her tongue…would there ever be any going back?

Sutton plopped herself down in front of Kat, grabbing her hands in her own and squeezing them before letting them ok. “Ok, tell us everything, don’t spare any detail.”

Jane nodded eagerly as she also sat down next to Sutton, slightly more gracefully, but no less eager to hear what Kat had to say. She waited patiently for a moment, before scrunching her brow, noting the way Kat kept her head down slightly, fumbling with her fingers. “Hey,” she murmured softly, covering Kat’s restless hands with her own. “Take a deep breath. Everything is fine, Kat.”

“But what if it isn’t?” She could hear the waver in her own voice, the uncertainty tainting every word. What had happened? This was supposed to be exciting, this was supposed to be good news. But the sudden worry gnawing at her ribs, left her aching and cold. And it irritated her that her momentary happiness had so suddenly evaporated. And in its place was a growing tempest, hot and cold at the same time, scraping along her ribs and pushing against her lungs.

Sutton and Jane looked at each other, neither quite sure what to say, but each feeling the weight of their friend’s worry. “Ok, look…” Sutton heaved herself up and scuttled around awkwardly until she was sitting with her back against the settee. She patted the floor next to herself, smiling when Kat slipped off the settee without a word, pressing herself into Sutton’s side.

Jane sat down on the other side of Kat, taking her hand in her own. She rubbed her fingers and scratched lightly at her palms, knowing it was one of the few things that could make Kat almost instantly relax.

Sutton rubbed her fingertips around Kat’s temple, twisting her head to kiss Kat on the top of her head, where she rested it on Sutton’s shoulder. “Kat, you are still the same Kat you have always been. Nothing has changed, except someone knew has come into your life.”

She stroked Kat’s hair for a moment before continuing. “And it sounds like she makes you feel things you’ve never felt before. And that’s ok. That’s good. Gay or bi or straight, none of it matters, Kat. The only thing that matters is how you feel about her, and how she feels about you.

Kat sniffed, cursing herself for her wet, blurred vision. She rarely cried, and she was determined not to start now. “This is stupid. Why am I crying like this?” She chuckled wetly as she sat up, leaning her head back on the settee.

“First kisses can be emotional.” Jane shrugged and bumped her shoulder lightly against Kat’s.

“Please.” Kat arched an eyebrow snorting at the thought. “Do you know how many first kisses I’ve had?”

“Not that many!” She laughed at the look on Sutton’s face.

Sutton just smirked and shrugged. “I said nothing. You went there all by yourself.” She covered Kat’s other hand with her own. “But some first kisses end up meaning more than others.”

Kat’s chuckle died in her throat. She looked down at her lap for a moment, replaying last night in her head: the sound of Adena’s laugh, the strength in her slim arms, the way she’d looked standing on the edge of the halo listening to the notes of the violin swirl around them. And the way she’d bumped her nose against Kat’s, the feel of her warm, soft lips pressing against Kat’s; the barest hint of her tongue flicking against Kat’s mouth…

She shivered and shook her head, squeezing Sutton’s and Jane’s hands. “It was perfect. I didn’t realize that a kiss could be perfect, that it could both excite and terrify me all at once. That I would never want to stop kissing her,” she finished with a whisper.

Jane couldn’t keep the surprised look off her face. Kat was fairly pragmatic about these things, taking them in stride, but this…this was new, a little unnerving to see Kat so discombobulated about her feelings for Adena.

“Are you going to see her again?”

Kat nodded slowly. “Yes, I think so. I want to.” She bit her lip, her stomach twisting at what she was going to say next. “You remember her art show? There was another woman. They were kissing.”

“Oh.” Sutton looked at Jane, who shook her head slightly.

“Ok, well, sounds like you need to talk to Adena no matter what. About the kiss. This other woman...” Sutton’s voice trailed off, and there was only silence in the room. They could hear the rest of the world rushing around them outside the doors, but it was muted, and they were quiet and safe in the closet for the moment.

“It was everything I ever wanted in a kiss, and I didn’t even realize it until that moment.”

**********************

“Amina? Hello.”

_“Adena, hello. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon. How are you? Any more word about your next showing?”_

Adena pressed the phone closer to her ear and shifted in her seat again. She was in her studio, trying to lose herself in her work, arrange more photos for a new showing, but instead she’d spent the last thirty minutes staring at the picture of Kat that she’d included in her last show.

“Yes, everything is fine. Working. I’ve applied for my extended visa.”

_“That’s good! I’m sure you will get it. Your work is important, and you are starting to make a name for yourself. Especially since Scarlet Magazine ran that article on you.”_

Adena winced slightly and nodded, licking her dry lips, “Yes, about that article…I actually wanted to talk to you about…”

_“My cousin Shamar mentioned that one of the smaller art publications picked up the article also out in Nice…”_

Adena nodded, saying nothing as she listened to Amina ramble on about her stay in France. It was only when she started in on what was sure to be a lengthy story about her new nephew that Adena interrupted.

“Amina? Amina!” She sighed in relief when Amina abruptly stopped. “Look I’m sorry, but I actually need to speak to you about something important.”

_“Of course. I’m sorry. What did you want to tell me?”_

The words froze on the tip of her tongue, and she suddenly wasn’t sure this was the best way to broach the topic. But Amina deserved more than a text or an email. She deserved to hear it from Adena’s own mouth.

“I kissed someone. A girl.” She laughed, the laugh catching slightly in her chest, “I mean of course, it would be a girl. But it isn’t just any girl,” she finished lamely; wincing again at the dead silence on the other end of the phone.

_“Oh. Well, ok. Adena, we never made any promises to each other. We were always keeping this casual. The girl from Scarlet Magazine?”_

Adena nodded, relief sweeping through her, filling the spaces between her ribs, until she could barely breathe from the giddiness that erupted along her spine, causing her to laugh wetly into the phone.

“Yes. Her name is Kat. You were right. I need to figure out what this means. But in the meantime…” Her voice trailed off, and she knew Amina knew what it meant.

_“I understand. And like I said, Adena, you deserve to figure this out.”_

_“_ Thank you, Amina. I just wanted you to know. She’s…I…She’s different,” she finished lamely, words not sufficient enough to explain how she felt.

_“I see. Wow. I can hear it in your voice.”_

“Hear what?”

_“Possibility.”_

*********************

She was curled up on her couch, tv on, not that she knew what she was watching; instead she was concentrating on her phone; waiting impatiently for Adena to text back again. She grumbled under her breath wondering when she became _that_ girl. The girl who lived on the edge of excitement and despair, wondering on which side she would eventually plummet.

They’d been texting steadily for two hours now, and yet each moment Kat waited for a response, felt like a scratch against her skin. She was surprised she hadn’t bled to death yet. Metaphorically at least.

And it wasn’t even as if Adena took her time responding, she replied almost immediately, only taking the time to formulate her reply before hitting send. But patience had never been one of Kat’s better qualities. Her skin itched, and she felt like her lungs would explode. It was exhilarating, but it made her dizzy at the same time as she clung to each word, staring intently at the bubble on her phone with the little dots.

Adena: I told Amina today that I had kissed you.

…..

Adena: Kat?

Kat: Sorry. I just am not sure how to reply.

Kat: I don’t really know who Amina is. Except…she’s the woman you were kissing?

Adena: I’m sorry. I didn’t explain. Perhaps this would be easier on the phone?

Kat: We are on the phone

Adena: Talking, Kat. Lol. I actually don’t make a habit of texting.

Adena: I prefer to speak with people face to face or at least on the phone.

Adena: But it’s a little late for a face to face chat

Kat: Is it?

……

“ _Hello?”_

“Hi.” Kat winced at how breathless she sounded on the phone. If she could hear it in her own voice, Adena was sure to also.

_“Unfortunately, it is too late for me to come across town. Although, perhaps we could meet tomorrow and discuss it?”_

“No! I mean, now is fine. I don’t think I want to put it off. I’d rather know now.” Kat winced and shifted on the couch, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapping it around her front. She clutched a pillow to her chest, wondering when she had become so needy.

_“Amina went back to France, and as you know, I am staying here. At least if I can get my extended Visa. Amina and I are friends and were sometimes lovers. It was casual. No strings.”_

Kat released her death grip on her pillow, relief swamping her so quickly that she felt light-headed. Casual. No strings. Amina was in France. She nodded dumbly before realizing that Adena couldn’t see her.

“Ok. Good. I mean…” She coughed, embarrassed at her slip, and she only blushed harder when she heard Adena’s gentle laugh on the other end of the phone.

“I mean…I’m glad I didn’t overstep…I…uh…” She sighed heavily, realizing that she probably needed to tell Adena that she had seen Amina.

“Actually I saw her. At your art show. I saw you two kissing. I shouldn’t have kissed you without knowing what your situation was. I’m sorry. I just…I never wanted to kiss someone as badly as I did you.” She squeezed her eyes shut tight, her fingers curled tightly in the blanket, cutting off her circulation.

“Am I bad for that?”

_“Oh Kat.”_

Kat’s shoulders slumped, her fingers uncurling slightly. She might not understand what was involved in relationships with two women, might not understand the mechanics, and might even be a little afraid; but the way Adena said her name, told her everything she needed to know.

_“You are everything but bad, Kat. It makes you human. And I should have said something. I knew what my situation with Amina was. I knew that we weren’t crossing any lines, but you didn’t know that. I’m sorry. I do not think less of you. Only more.”_

“I can’t stop thinking about you. About the kiss.”

_“Neither can I.”_

“What does it mean?”

_“It means whatever you want or need it to be. Kat, whatever happens between us, only happens with your consent, at your pace. I’m not going to push you or demand anything of you.”_

“What if I want to kiss you again, but I don’t know what it means?”

_“Well, I think it means you want to kiss me again. Everything else is just details.”_

Kat could hear the teasing lilt in her voice, and it made her smile. She scrunched down further in the couch, pulling the blanket around herself as she turned on her side. 

She took a deep breath, “Do you want to kiss me?”

_“Yes.”_

She fell asleep listening to the sound of Adena’s voice in her ear. She dreamed of a woman with dark eyes splashed with gold. She dreamed of laughter and gentle kisses, of a hand resting in her own. And the tempest in her breast quieted.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?


End file.
